Save the Last Dance for Me
by ASianSuccessor2012
Summary: SEASON 4 SPOILERS! Noah is celebrating his 18th birthday and he plans to spend the rest of his day with his special someone but he doesn't know that she has other ideas in mind, surprising schemes up her sleeve to make his special day better than he'll ever expect it to be. But will he still share one special moment and one special dance with the girl he calls his everything?
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: Noah is about to celebrate his 18th birthday and he plans to spend it with no one else but his special someone, unsuspecting that she has other ideas in mind and surprising schemes up her sleeve to make his special day better than he'll ever expect it to be. No one's forgotten about it, but everyone knows that Noah is in for a surprise that will make this day one he'll remember for the rest of his life. But will he share this one special moment and one special dance with the girl he calls his everything? **_

_**Author's Note:**_ _ **WARNING! Season 4 SPOILERS AHEAD!**_

 _ **Hey everyone! Guess who's back at it with the Next Step fanfics? So this story was inspired by a whole bunch of things that happened in the past week. First off, a belated Happy Birthday to the amazing Myles Erlick**_ _ **who celebrated his special day on July the 27th! This is why I thought of doing a story on Noah's birthday in the first place as a tribute to an amazing dancer and wonderful guy. Secondly, I've been listening to a lot of Michael Buble's songs lately and after two days, the most amazing coincidence happened...my family and I met him on the road! AHH! Even though it was just a few seconds, no chance of a photo op or spoken words because he was driving (and even if I did, he'd be distracted, dang it), he waved back at us and those were honestly few precious seconds of August the 1st, 2016. That's when I got more inspiration! 2 of his songs are featured in this fic, "Save the Last Dance for Me" being the title and "Everything" being referenced a lot here (and on the summary), and yes, because he's amazing, not just as a musician but a person (he reminds me so much of my aunt, which is awesome because they're both singers and they're both the sweetest on and off stage...that's why I admire them so much). Thirdly, the most important part of the fic...Nomanda! I ship it. I ship it hardcore! Shipped it ever since their relationship developed all the more in Season 4. I have to admit, I didn't originally ship them as much when they started their relationship but I had such a huge respect for it and still found it kinda cute (okay, really cute) and ever since that scene in the hospital where Amanda and Noah shared their feelings about one another (and Amanda really cried for the first time on the show, NOT counting the fake one in season 2), that scene really got me emotionally, making it the ONLY SCENE in The Next Step to ever move me to tears...ever. True story. A lot of TNS moments touched my heart deep down, but nothing ever moved me as much as this scene ever did, and that, my friends, is when I began to ship Nomanda and now, they are my OTP. I really, really hope you respect that and whether you ship Nomanda or not (maybe Nochelle or Noabi, but mostly Nochelle, I'm guessing)because I totally respect you if you don't, I hope you enjoy this story anyway because I'm really excited just bringing it to you.**_

 _ **Without further ado, just "Save the Last Dance for Me" (please?)**_

 _ **Belated happy 18th birthday Myles Erlick! Nomanda shippers (or TNS fans looking for a sweet story), this is for you.**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012 (a.k.a. Kylie)**_

 _ **P.S. I own nothing but the story. The characters and everything about The Next Step belongs to Frank Van Keeken, the writers, Family Channel, Temple Street and Beachwood Canyon. "Save the Last Dance for Me" and "Everything" belong to Michael Buble (Keep your eye out on more references from some more of his songs). Expect this one to be a two-shot or three-shot depending on how long it goes. It's a short story so I should be updating very frequently.**_

* * *

The golden Wednesday morning sun peeked out of the drifting clouds, rising out of the horizon signifying the start of a warm, beautiful sunny day of July the 27th, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, caressing each corner of nature it flares its rays to. Most people, young and old, might have woken up to, though admiring the inviting nature of the outdoor weather, what they would call an 'ordinary day.' But to a certain young man, not to mention, a young up-and-coming dancer, he woke up by his window sill, sitting up abruptly with his eyes wide open as if he hadn't a single wink of slumber the entire night, knew that this was indeed a _far from ordinary_ day with reasons why he knew he couldn't stop himself from smiling. To him, the sun was glowing brighter than usual, his senses were more than completely awakened, alert at anything and everything in sight and around him and he couldn't help but feel something more intense than butterflies churning at the pit of his stomach, knowing very well in his mind and heart that this day was truly a special day. That's right. This young dancer, Noah, was celebrating his eighteenth birthday, and what better way to spend it by getting up earlier than the rest of the neighborhood in the morning (at 7:00AM)?

His tufts of brown hair may have been unevenly ruffled, but he didn't seem to care in the slightest. His back was still quite sore from his recent spinal surgery, causing him to take a break from dancing at The Next Step for a little while even if Regionals was just around the corner and no matter how much the notion still bothered him, he continually told himself the minute he woke up that even a major setback like this wouldn't ruin his day. After all, Noah knew he had far more important things to look forward to today and nothing or no one was about to stop him now, especially _not_ on a perfect day like this. He wasn't prepared for this to be a wonderful day; he was prepared for it to be the most _perfect_ day of all (maybe even better than Christmas Day, if he tried).

As he rushed to his closet to change into one of his favorite outfits, his faded light blue collared button-up shirt he wore to the first regionals qualifier, before he could reach further into one of the drawers to find it, a loud reverberating vibration coming from his phone on the side table by his bed, stopping him in his tracks. At first, Noah thought it was his alarm clock just waiting to bug his slumber as usual, but once he walked towards his side table, leaning forward in advance to see his phone screen, a photo of a familiar face, namely one wearing more than just an orange cardigan and a floral blouse but flowing brunette hair and a bright smile, lit up. Noah then beamed to himself as a blush of a crimson shade crept upon his cheeks. There was only one person he knew it could be, and he knew that he couldn't leave this impending phone call hanging any longer.

"Hey Amanda," he smiled his brightest as he picked up the phone, beyond eager to hear his girlfriend's voice.

"Hey Noah! Happy birthday!" Amanda called out cheerfully, beaming from the other end of the line.

"Aw, thanks babe," Noah chuckled, "Whoa, you're up so early! Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she giggled at his innocence, "I wanted to be the first to call you up on your eighteenth birthday! I hope I didn't wake you or anything."

"No, not at all! I'm actually really happy you called me up just now. It means a lot," he smiled once again in his response, "Hey, remember how I told you that you were so smart?"

"Yeah, and that's like _everyday_ I see you that you tell me that," she reminded him, sneaking in yet another giggle, wondering to herself how she got quite lucky to have an adorable yet dorky, though genuine and utterly sweet gentleman of a boyfriend.

"You know, sometimes I think you have superpowers, you know why?"

"Why?" she laughed, thinking to herself, 'where did that come from?' though reminding herself that it was Noah she was talking to.

"Because it's like you know exactly what time I wake up, it's scary. But good! It's _scary_ good!" he explained confidently as if a normal conversation, "Kinda like you secretly watch me while I'm sleeping, or something, like a spy or maybe like a Santa Claus thing kinda going on with you."

"Okay...?" Amanda replied, more confused than creeped out at his eccentric description, stifling a laughter even if she couldn't help it. Even if she loved her relationship with Noah, there were just some moments in their conversation where she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but enjoyed his company anyway.

"A-and that's a cool thing! Y-yeah!" he finished confidently yet again, although with a few awkward stammers in his own adorable _Noah_ way. He paused for a moment and began again, this time calming himself down to a more serious demeanor, "But the most important thing about having a superpower is using it to make people happy."

Upon hearing this, Amanda's befuddled expression suddenly morphed into a tender smile, knowing where Noah's statement was going.

" _You_ have that, Amanda, and you know why? You know _exactly_ when to make someone happy and just now, your voice was the first thing I heard in the morning and now, I feel like the happiest guy in the world. And I'm not saying it's because of your superpower; it's because of you."

At that, Amanda was at a complete loss for words, feeling the butterflies in her stomach rising rapidly and reaching deep into her heart. Although Noah's explanation started off as absolutely bizarre, she knew that everything he said leading up to his tender conclusion was sincerely from his heart, and if she had to choose, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Aw...Noah..." she responded in a whisper, pausing before proceeding any further, "That's so sweet. Thank you!"

"No; thank _you,_ Amanda," Noah said with a smile, taking a seat on his bed, "I don't think I would've wanted to start my day any different anyway."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Amanda chuckled slightly, simultaneous with an eye roll, "Listen Noah, it's been really great talking to you the first thing, but I gotta go help my mom get breakfast ready. Plus, I gotta get to the studio right after that to rehearse―"

"―Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Amanda!" Noah interrupted, pulling her ramble to a halt. And _he_ thought he was the rambler between the two.

"I thought rehearsals always started at 4. You can't be working on the qualifier duet―I mean―you were with me at the hospital during my surgery and I don't see why you're hitting the road so early in the morning. What are you rehearsing anyways?"

That's when Amanda stopped in her tracks. She knew she was lying about heading to the studio for rehearsals and she had to come up with an excuse that would cover it up without the risk of Noah seeing through her remark... _and_ fast. After all, she couldn't tell him what was _really_ going on and why she planned to be out and about this early.

"My acro, of course!" she lied with her teeth gritted in a sheepish grin, "I mean, I gotta keep working hard getting better at it just in time for regionals, hehe...right? I hope you understand."

"Of course, Amanda!" Noah replied pleasantly, showing no signs of hesitation whatsoever, "No problem."

'Phew! Glad I got that out of the way,' Amanda thought to herself with a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was inaudible enough for Noah not to suspect anything.

"So Noah, have you got any birthday plans? Are your big brothers coming home to visit you or is your family going to take you out to lunch or dinner or something?" she asked him quickly, immediately shifting gears from their previous topic, secretly hoping to herself that Noah had nothing planned for the evening.

"No, not really, actually," he said calmly without so much a hint of disappointment, "My brothers are still travelling around the world _but_ they promised to send me some presents once they've got the time and my mom and dad told me that since it's my eighteenth, I can celebrate my birthday in any way I want! I guess that's the first part of their gift to me because I can bet that they think I'm still asleep and they're wrapping it up right this second, and that's definitely a good thing because...erm...I've got some birthday plans of my own and hopefully, it'll last the _entire_ day."

Of course, Noah being Noah ended his statement with a seemingly confident smile on his face though as per usual, in a completely adorably awkward state of mind with his attempt to be charming.

"Oh..." Amanda sighed softly, attempting to hide the disappointment in the tone of her voice (as well as her eyes, even if he couldn't see it), "Do you? Um...So, are you meeting with the boys like Henry and Alfie, or something like that, just having some of your―you know― _guy_ time?"

"I haven't got a plan yet! It's pretty early in the morning and probably too early to call them up for something," Noah chuckled smartly, " _But_ I do have a little something in mind since _I'm_ awake and I'm pretty sure you're awake too."

"We _both_ are, Noah," Amanda giggled at Noah's rather cute joke of a remark, "I wouldn't have called you up if I wasn't. But seriously though, I really, really, _really_ need to brush up on my acro this morning. I told you that, remember?"

"Yeah, I know! But since you're going to the studio pretty early today, _after_ you rehearse, we could meet up for lunch and maybe even spend the rest of the day in the―"

"―I think I hear my mom calling!" Amanda frantically interrupted, feigning an excuse, knowing where this conversation was leading, "Bye Noah! Happy birthday!"

And with that, she hung up the phone without another word. She knew she would normally _never_ lie to Noah, _ever_ , but she knew that this time round, she had to, even if it was his birthday. She wasn't heading for The Next Step to work on her acro skills, neither was she helping her mother prepare breakfast. Not even close. As a matter of fact, she was _already_ at the building, sitting in Java Junction before everyone else and Riley arrived. At this moment, as she lounged about, laying atop one of the purple couches, being one of the very few people there early in the morning, she had quite a lot on her mind. She wasn't even in the very least bothered about why she lied to Noah for her reasons for coming to the studio but rather relieved. Although she had to admit, she felt somewhat guilty at nearly turning down Noah's request for spending the rest of his birthday with her (because that was most likely what he had in mind for his plans) and of course, being the loyal and genuinely loving girlfriend that she was to him, she wouldn't pass an opportunity like this for the world...if only she didn't have something else planned in mind. That's right. There was definitely more to her recent finicky and secretive behavior than Noah would ever realize...at least for now.

Amanda then pulled out her phone from her pocket, her fingers swiping and scrolling as fast as she could through her contact list searching for Michelle's name and immediately tapping it once she found it to call her. She waited for a few seconds for Michelle to pick up, a few rings reverberating as her fingers fiddled frantically with her thigh in anticipation as she inhaled anxiously with deep breaths until _finally,_ Michelle answered her call.

"Uhm...Hello?" a thoroughly groggy Michelle yawned in response from the other end of the line.

"Michelle, it's me, Amanda!" Amanda spoke in a finicky manner in a completely opposite disposition as her friend, "Remember the text I sent you last night?"

"Yeah?" Michelle yawned once more, still retaining her calm demeanour, "What about?"

"Meeting in the junction at eight? Remember?!" she reminded her hurriedly, worried that she had forgotten all about it (which was most definitely unlike Michelle at all).

"WHAT? We were supposed to meet at EIGHT?!" Michelle suddenly exclaimed, her voice practically jumping in alertness as well as worry, "I just got out of bed like _right now,_ as soon as you called! _And_ it's just seven thirty!"

"Aghh! Michelle, don't tell me you forgot about it!" Amanda said more frustratedly, giving herself a facepalm, her fingers digging deep into her temples.

"Okay Amanda, I'm sorry. I _did_ forget we were supposed to meet right now," she admitted, "But I _didn't_ forget we were supposed to meet. Why so early though?"

"Listen, Michelle, we really haven't gotten much time here so we need to act fast," Amanda began, "I need you, Riley, and everyone else on A-Troupe _except Noah_ to be here as soon as possible, at least before nine."

"Why? I thought you were just meeting with me to help you out with something."

"No, that's why I told you I'd explain once you got here," she clarified.

"Why can't you just tell me now so I have at least _some idea_ why we're starting _this_ early?" Michelle questioned determinedly, knowing very well she wouldn't leave the house without any further explanation.

"Okay, so I didn't think this through on time although I really wish I had, but today is Noah's eighteenth birthday and I want to throw him a surprise party at Studio A and to be honest, I don't know how long it's gonna take!" Amanda explained in a frantic ramble as if she was _this close_ to losing her mind, like an uncontrollably spinning record that looked like it wasn't going to stop turning anytime soon, "PLUS we _might_ need to ask Riley to cancel rehearsals because we need to get the studio set up and all decorated and I need to go out to the mall and buy a card and a present for _him_ and I also don't know how long _that's_ gonna take neither. On top of that, we literally have one _day_ to do it and it _has_ to be ready _tonight_ and the last thing I want is for this to be a total disaster because I turned him down this morning when he asked to spend the rest of the day with me because of all of this and all I want is for his birthday to be really special and I don't know if it will be if we don't pull this off on time!"

By the time Amanda finished, she was out of breath. She then realized she probably spoke far too fast for Michelle to even understand and she could only hope that she took at least _something_ from her uncontrollable fit of worrisome rambling in her explanation.

"Whoa, Amanda, this is so unlike you," Michelle spoke up with a hint of sympathy in her voice, "I had no idea your situation was _that_ crazy."

"Mhmm. I nearly lost sleep over it, which is why I've been up since 6 in the first place," Amanda added, this time speaking more calmly, the stress still remaining within her, "I really hope I didn't trouble you with all of this information. It's probably too much to do for one day anyway and you probably wanna catch up on your sleep so I'm just gonna let you go ahead and―"

"―Amanda, it wasn't any trouble at all. If anything, I'm glad you told me about all this."

"You are?" she questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Of course," Michelle smiled as she spoke, "You know what, I'm gonna get changed and I'm gonna go over there right now."

"What? Now?" Amanda wondered aloud, slightly surprised by Michelle's abrupt decision.

"Yes, now," she replied, "At this point, I don't care if I leave the house early. The last thing I want is for you to be stressed and honestly Amanda, you aren't meant to carry all these plans all by yourself."

"That's why I asked you to come to begin with," Amanda laughed in a good-natured manner, realizing how lucky she truly was to have one of the most thoughtful and considerate friends around, and that was none other than Michelle.

"That's what I'm here for," Michelle then giggled in response, "I'll be there in around twenty minutes. The bus comes in five."

"Hey Michelle, thank you so much," Amanda said with a satisfied smile, leaning back on the couch, "You have no idea how much this means to me and how much more it will mean to Noah."

"Well, it's what friends do, so why not?" The two friends shared a laugh over the line.

"Plus, it's no competition so you don't have to worry about me being the first one to carry out the _best_ decorations," Michelle joked with a smirk on her face, Amanda could almost see it just hearing her tone of voice. _There_ was the side of Michelle that Amanda knew was slowly but surely being unleashed. 'So, now you wanna play that way, huh Michelle?' she thought to herself as she gave off one of her classic scheming chuckle (all in good nature, of course).

"We'll see about that," Amanda jested back within a chuckle, "Alright, I wouldn't want to keep that bus driver waiting. I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay, see you," Michelle said before both girls ended their call.

What a relief this must have been, especially for Amanda. At least she got that out of the way for this was just the beginning of her plan being put into action. Except, this time, all her schemes and ideas weren't for taking down The Next Step (well, why would she do that anyway?); they were all for making more than just a wonderful birthday for a special someone. She was willing to do anything and everything to make sure that with this surprise party coming along, Noah's special day would truly be the _perfect_ day. There was nothing else she wanted more in this world than to see his face light up with his smile (that she loved oh-so much) he wore on his face everyday once he arrived, but even more, she wanted this to be, not probably, but _absolutely_ , the best day of his life―no― _their_ lives, and what better way than to spend it with each other...and no one else?

This was going to take _a lot_ more planning than she thought.

"You can do this, Amanda," she muttered to herself, "No... _we_ can do this."

Simply put, she couldn't wait to get this party started, even if it meant starting now.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _ **There you have it! The end of chapter one! How did you like it? I want to know what you think. Be sure to leave me a Review, or a PM (constructive criticism is fine, but please no flames) or if you want to receive updates on it, just simply click Follow. I can't wait to keep going with chapter 2 (and if a lot of things still happen, it might even have a chapter 3). I originally intended for this to be a one-shot, but then I realized it would be pretty long with a lot of things going on, and not to mention, a lot of characters being involved besides Amanda and Michelle. Who else do you want to see? Who else do you think should be featured? Please let me know! (Anyone from the current S4 A-Troupe, B-Troupe, anybody!) Just remember, I'm trying to stay as canon as possible with Season 4 and this takes place a little bit after 4.5 which hasn't aired yet, so it's a tiny bit of an AU. Also, as much as I truly respect that everyone has different ships for Noah (and I totally respect that), but just remember, this is a Nomanda story and I can't change ships halfway. I'm sorry about that, but I just had to put it out there. Anyways, I hope you liked this first chapter and expect the second one to be coming right at you really soon (in the next 24 hours or next day or so)!**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012**_

 _ **P.S. I've recently written another TNS Fanfiction entitled "A Second Chance" which is a character study on Amanda set in her POV and it would definitely mean a whole lot if you guys check it out. Thanks again, and I'll be back with Chapter 2!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_ _ **Hey everyone! Okay, so I didn't update in the next 24 hours after I uploaded this story like I said, and I apologize for that, because I had tons of things to do, but to start this second chapter off, I just feel the need to say...wow, you guys...wow...I just casually checked to see how many people were checking this story out and I can't believe that a lot of you around the world (and surprisingly so many countries) have read this story and it amazes me and overwhelms me (in a good way) so much that you all took the time out of your day to read this story and honestly, it means the world to me, so give yourselves a round of applause. As for those of you who reviewed, thank you so much for taking your time to send me your feedback as well and I truly thank you so much for your support! That's all I gotta say! Now, a word about this chapter and the next, you all finally get to see what Amanda's up to at the studio, plus, some appearances from more A-Troupers (maybe one a lot of you have most likely been waiting to see) and a little Season 3 reference thrown in. Let's see if you'll be able to find it. I hope you're enjoying this story as much as I am and actually, I'm almost done. This won't be the final chapter though. Expect one or two more.**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012**_

* * *

As the phone call suddenly ended without another peep from Amanda, Noah knew _and_ understood that she seemed to be in such a hurry that she had no time to carry on the conversation between them any further and simply dismissed it with a shrug as he placed his phone back on his side table, continuing to button up the rest of his shirt...but he couldn't. He simply couldn't dismiss the thought. Not yet, at least.

In the spur of the moment, Amanda's abrupt finish to their phone call didn't seem to bother him one bit at first glance, because he knew for a fact that this happened before. But this time was different. Not only was he slightly bothered in hindsight; he also found this entire situation incredibly unusual. Whenever he Amanda found the time to have a little chat on the phone once they both returned home after school or after dance rehearsals, no matter how busy either of them were, especially Amanda, catching up on her homework and other personal errands outside of dance, she would normally set aside the time of day (or night) to spend as much time as possible with Noah, even if it meant multitasking. Even he would do the same in a heartbeat. What made this situation even _more_ out of the ordinary was the fact that while _he_ was in the middle of asking her to spend the rest of his birthday with him, she immediately cut him off before he could proceed any further and _that_ was most definitely unlike Amanda. There they were early in the morning sharing a pleasant conversation as if time stopped for just the two of them when right at that moment when he decides to ask her out for the day, she ends the call without an explanation...just like that. There was definitely something fishy about this situation and Noah was determined to find out. **  
**

As he headed for the washroom to gently comb the tufts of his hair, as he opened the door, he was suddenly met by the mew of his orange tabby cat, Montevideo, who simply sat right next to its doorframe, his wide emerald orbs staring intently into Noah's and his two front paws reaching out for his owner and immediately, Noah was taken in by his feline's adorable behavior, causing him to give off a small goofy smile staring down affectionately at his pet.

"Hey buddy, you're up early too!" Noah bent down slightly (thankfully not enough to hurt his injured back), extending his arms for the feline to jump into them as he naturally did, causing Noah to whimper slightly at the force of his cat's heaviness, "Do you know what day it is today, Monty?"

There was no response from the cat other than a wide yawn and a flick of his ears and whiskers and the protruding of his fur brushing against Noah's palms and forearms, causing them to tickle.

"No?" the young brown-haired boy chuckled in amusement as he continued his one-sided 'conversation' with his cat, "Well, today's my birthday and I really want it to be great. I'm sure if it were _your_ birthday, you'd want to do the same, huh?"

Still no response from the straight-faced tabby. Then again, it was Noah supposedly conversing with him and _he_ knew that he'd get no reply...did he?

"Well, I'll take that as a yes then," Noah shrugged as he lowered Montevideo to the floor and switched on the washroom's lights and locked the door, picking up his comb in the process, "So, if you _really_ wanted your whole day to be absolutely _perfect_ , sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do."

As he brushed his hair in its frequent upward style, Noah figured that taking the time talking to his cat could get his mind off of Amanda's unusual behavior over the phone...but it didn't. Still, he was utterly confused why she would even think or _dream_ of turning down a day with her own boyfriend, of all days, _on_ his birthday, but little did he know that this had something to do with him and there was no way he was letting Amanda get away with anything until he found out what was _really_ behind the scenes behind the schemes.

"I know what I gotta do," Noah grinned proudly as he looked at himself in the mirror, nodding to himself before turning to Montevideo who was now found sitting atop the closed toilet seat.

"My question is... _do you_?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Amanda, still resting her back against the purple velvet couch though she was far from relaxed, waited impatiently for Michelle to arrive, fumbling and fiddling with her fingers and nails, her restless mind shrouded in a chaotic muddle filled with nothing but mounds of unwritten party plans piling up one after the other, hoping that she would remember everything to the last detail once the whole team gathered. Then all at once she remembered that the only one she let in on her plans was Michelle and that she had forgotten to alert the rest of the team _and_ Riley, wide-eyed upon realization of the problem. Then again, Amanda knew there was no time to waste dwelling on a problem than to find a solution, be it sprung from spontaneity (if she was lucky) or common sense, and it was clear that once Michelle arrived, the first thing they'd do is inform Riley and all of A-Troupe about their surprise-party planning. After all, who else was there to tell? One could only wonder.

"Hey," a familiar, soft-spoken voice chirped up energetically, catching the attention of the brunette girl, none other than a young lady just about her age with flowing blonde locks, greeting her with a bright smile as if she hadn't slept a wink. It was Michelle.

"Hey!" Amanda beamed, leaping off the couch, greeting her friend in return with a hug, "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Well, guess who made it too," another familiar voice and another familiar face with straightened and slightly shorter blonde hair chimed in cheerfully followed by a chuckle, peeping from behind the junctions entrance with a single rounded wave, approaching Amanda and Michelle.

"Hey Riley! I was _just_ about to text you right after I hung up on Michelle."

"Nah, there was no need to," Riley said followed by another one of her infectious chuckles, "Michelle told me all about it on the way here. I was actually heading to the studio myself until we met halfway by the bus stop."

"Good for you!" Amanda exclaimed then clapped her hands together in a 'business-like' sort of manner, "So, you know what's going on? Can we get started now at least a little bit?"

"Well, all I know is that it's Noah's birthday and _you're_ planning it...huh Amanda?" she nudged her teasingly along with Michelle, causing the brunette to blush at the mention of her boyfriend's name and share a brief moment of laughter before reverting to a serious tone, "By the way, how is he? How's his back?"

All at once, their shared little atmosphere in the junction suddenly jolted in abrupt silence and seriousness at the mention of Noah's injury. He hasn't been back on A-Troupe since then and none of them knew of his results, except for Amanda, and his prolonged absence has since begun to worry Riley all the more now that regionals was fast approaching much closer than ever.

"Noah's doing a lot better than I thought he would," Amanda responded, hoping to bring a happier note on the subject of his absence, "He's been resting his back a lot, taking his medication daily, refraining from his dancing, which has really been tough on him and of course, the rest of the team, even if he needs to more than anything. _But_ lately, nothing's been bugging him down, thankfully, and most recently, he's been spending time working a lot on his music and singing." She ended with a bashful smile, her cheeks blushing a crimson red.

"Oh, that's nice to hear!" Riley exclaimed, relieved that despite Noah's major setback, he's been keeping himself in high spirits, which would be utterly unusual for someone in his position of all things. Then again, it was _Noah_ they were talking about.

"Well, I'm glad to hear he's doing better, hopefully even more in time for regionals. And yeah, I remember you mentioning his working on his music sometimes. Part of me wonders why he hasn't considered using one of Lost and Found's studio booths before."

"I take it you've been spending _a lot_ of time with him while he's away?" Michelle questioned straightforwardly yet teasingly with a clever smirk implanted on her features, staring into her friend's hazel orbs which could only mean she was searching for an honest answer.

Amanda, on the other hand, couldn't help but release an uncontrollable blush of a bright red shade, followed by a giggle to match her unadulterated coyness.

"Well...I...um..." her eyes flittered and darted feebly across the junction, avoiding eye contact from Riley or Michelle until she eventually gave up trying to conceal her giddy schoolgirl-crush state and looked them in the eye, "...yeah...I may have spent _more_ time with him than I thought I would..."

"But hey, that's my job! I'm his girlfriend and all I want is to be there for him," she concluded with one of her eye-rolls and a smile to top it off.

"Just be sure that he isn't taking so much of your time away from you," Michelle gently admonished Amanda with an uncertain yet cautious tone in her voice, "He isn't really _forcing_ you to stay with him 24/7, is he?"

"No, no, no, Michelle, it's nothing like that!" Amanda assured her best friend defensively without offense taken, "I _enjoy_ spending time with Noah. A lot. Let's say, when rehearsals are done or I've got no homework or Math final or nothing to do, really, I wouldn't mind spending the rest of the afternoon with him. Sure, he might seem crazy and awkward, like he _is,_ but he's fun to be around and despite all that kookiness, he always knows _exactly_ what to do or how to cheer me up when I'm feeling down, and that's kind of why I like him. It's hard to put everything into words but that's how I feel. And because of that, I just kinda wanna give something back to him for everything he's done for me _and_ for the team and I was just thinking that maybe a surprise party for him would be the perfect opportunity to do just that."

Despite their knowing Amanda for a long while, or rather, ever since their time of friendship with her, Michelle and Riley have never seen their friend _this_ earnest and vulnerable before, let alone about a young man in her life who entered it first and captivated it the next. Now they understood why she was willing to go through all this trouble early in the morning to throw him a party and they were more than willing to help Amanda make this special occasion the best it could be for a fellow teammate and of course, a dearest friend.

"Besides, not everyone in the team has seen him since and it would be great if they at least get to spend some quality time with him and catch up while he's recovering," Amanda continued, "I think it would mean the world to him and more."

Riley and Michelle turned to each other, sharing a smile at the thoughtfulness of their friend, then back to Amanda, one of them ready with an eager response.

"No Amanda, you don't _think._ You _know_ it," Riley smiled warmly, placing an affirming hand on Amanda's shoulder, followed by a nod of agreement from Michelle.

"So, does that mean you're both in?" Amanda asked her friends in a hopeful tone although already knowing what their responses would be.

"Yeah!" Riley replied enthusiastically, her voice trailing upwards as her eyes widened.

"Was that even a question?" Michelle said jokingly with just as much enthusiasm as Riley, followed by a giggle.

"So, shall we head up to the studio and..." Amanda cleared her throat before displaying a playfully false southern accent, "... _git 'er done_?"

The three ladies shared yet another moment of laughter before Riley broke the silence.

"The get 'er done girl is on it!" She said, striking a classic muscle pose, then placing her arms around her two friends as they strolled towards the junction's exit.

"Wow, Noah's craziness must've rubbed off on you seeing you've spent so much time with him, huh Amanda?" Michelle said with a playful smirk, constantly diving at every opportunity she could to give Amanda a taste of the tease.

"Shut up," Amanda laughed, giving her friend a nudge on the ribs in return as the girls made their way to the exit, heading down the hall and towards the stairway that led to The Next Step Dance Studio.

Meanwhile, as Michelle, Riley and Amanda ascended the stairwell leading to the dance studio, a sudden familiar noise light tapping and stomping of hands and feet stopped them in their tracks, coming from the hallway that led straight to the Rehearsal Room and Studio A, except this noise _was_ coming from Studio A, leaving the ladies confused. Sure enough as they continued walking towards Studio A, they noticed its green metal doors spread wide open and the chandelier shining as brightly as it always did with an unmistakably familiar slim-bodied flexible figure maneuvering acrobatics in the distance. Now, this left all three of them in even more surprise than confusion. Who would be rehearsing in the Studio at this hour _long before_ dance rehearsal would even begin?

"Wait a minute..." Riley frantically hastened towards the studio doors, Michelle and Amanda following closely behind her, silently panicking to herself that someone had broken into the studio early in the morning.

"Riley, did I tell you you forgot to lock up the studio last night?!" a loud-spoken, shrill voice hollered at sight of the studio head as she landed her back-flip on her feet. There was only _one_ dancer in all of The Next Step who would dare overstep her bounds and speak in such a manner to the newly appointed head of the studio.

"Oh, I, um...didn't realize it 'til-erm-now," Riley stammered awkwardly, her fists clutching the insides of her black jacket's pockets, "Thank you, Richelle."

"So, what brings you here _this early?"_ Michelle spoke up, questioning the younger dancer, nearly staring her down with her gaze with attempted intimidation, " _Without_ Riley's permission?"

Neither the question, nor Michelle's gaze seemed to intimidate Richelle one bit. If anything else, Michelle was a force facing another force to be reckoned with having just about the same amount of chances getting even.

"Well, _someone's_ gotta be brushing up for regionals while no one else is since _someone_ didn't put this girl in the qualifier," Richelle disregarded Michelle's last statement, shooting a quickly glanced glare at Riley with an indirect guilt trip.

Now it was clearer than ever that she hadn't gotten over her losing her spot with Skylar to take on the final regionals qualifier to Piper and Alfie's duet. The three studio veterans were in a stunned silence at the seemingly direct and brash attitude of this young firecracker of a dancer although they somehow knew and understood that Richelle meant no offense nor disrespect and her remarks simply branched out of her boldness and ambitious determination of constantly proving herself to the team.

" _Anyhoo,_ I'm actually glad you all showed up since I'd honestly be happy to help you with anything at all... _especially_ your dancing, you know, techniques and tricks and all, just so they could be good enough for when we _all_ make it to regionals," she added confidently without a hint of hesitation in her eyes nor her tone, "Yes, Michelle and Amanda, I'm talking to you. You're welcome."

In an awkward silence, Michelle, Riley and Amanda exchanged wide-eyed expressions at yet another one of Richelle's bold remarks and the attitude written all over it.

'Rude,' was all Michelle could think to herself about how it seemed Richelle had talked down to A-Troupe veterans of all people, such as herself and Amanda while Amanda, in turn, simply remained silent and rolled her eyes. Michelle then approached Richelle with a brisk stride, staring directly into her eyes with the same attempted intimidation she previously had, her eyebrows raised to a confident and authoritative height and a sarcastic smirk that came along with it. Amanda then raised her arm to stop Michelle from proceeding, in turn being stopped by Riley, who knew that Michelle was doing the right thing by standing up to Richelle and putting her in her place.

"Listen, Richelle..." she began with a haughty chuckle, "Amanda and I are senior dancers here at The Next Step and we've been on A-Troupe longer than you have and you've been here for how long? Hmm...one year. Not even that long."

"Yeah, so? What's your point?" Richelle questioned Michelle just as haughtily, her demeanor implacable in its solid foundation.

"We don't _need_ your help, Richelle," Michelle stated bluntly, continuing to stare the younger dancer down, " _Especially_ not with dancing."

"But we _do_ need your help, Richelle!" Amanda chimed in, raising her arm as she slid next to Michelle, earning a wide-eyed 'what the heck are you doing' sort of glare from her, though ignoring it, "With something else! And it has _nothing_ to do with dancing."

"Hmm...nothing to do with dancing huh? Well I guess it's best you just leave me in peace with my acro and do whatever you need to do because you're wasting my time," Richelle replied nonchalantly as she returned to stretching, "See you in rehearsal!"

"No, Richelle, you don't understand!" Amanda called out relentlessly, not in the very least intimidated by her, "It's _not_ about dancing but it's about _someone._ "

"Someone, huh?" Richelle questioned pretentiously as she leaned and stretched her arm to her left, "Well, whoever this _someone_ is, is this _someone_ from A-Troupe or B-Troupe or does this _someone_ need some help with some dancing?"

Amanda crumpled her hands on her forehead in a facepalm, frustrated that Richelle wasn't taking her remark seriously but even more, that she didn't bother asking who this _someone_ is even if that _someone_ was to be celebrating something special on this very day.

"In case you didn't know, _because clearly you don't_ ," she started off loudly then muttered the next phrase under her breath, her words finally catching Richelle's attention, stopping her from her stretching, "This _someone_ is a part of this team who happens to be _someone_ really special and _someone_ who is celebrating his eighteenth birthday today! Now you know! You happy?!"

"Hmm...let me guess...is this _someone_ I've known for a _long time_?" she smirked within a giggle, already knowing the answer to her own question, hoping to catch a reaction out of Amanda or even Michelle and Riley, who were visibly relieved that she began to show even more interest in this discussion than they ever would have expected out of her.

"Yes, like a long, _long_ time," Michelle remarked as Riley and Amanda nodded and spoke their responses simultaneously.

"Mhmm! We're talking J-Troupe here," Riley added.

"Yeah! His nationals audition was just as _insane_ as yours...and he was obviously the cutest," Amanda stated and of course, included her last statement in conclusion. That in itself was a giveaway, and she knew it, "...Do you know who it is now?"

"Wait! Don't tell me!" Richelle raised her hand towards the trio and shut her eyes as she began thinking out loud to herself in hushed tones, "I've known him for a long time...J-Troupe together...auditioned for nationals...eighteenth birthday...AHA! I've got this... _Noah."_

She concluded with a wide-eyed, beaming smile, her hands clapped together in triumph.

"I knew that!" the younger dancer proclaimed proudly.

"Oh, we _know_ that you knew that," Michelle muttered underneath her breath, then turning to Richelle, "It kinda leaves me wondering why you made yourself guess anyway."

"So, yeah! Today's his birthday. I knew that too!"

She disregarded Michelle's statement yet again.

"In fact, I've known that since we were―well―little kids together! I don't think that should be surprising for anyone."

"Well, that doesn't really surprise me at all now that you've told me you've known each other for a pretty long time," Amanda said, dismissing Richelle's unintentional haughtiness, "That's why I'm glad we came to you for help."

"If this is about Noah's birthday then I'm glad to!" Richelle chimed in a more cheerful tone, "So, what did you have in mind?"

Now _that_ was a surprise coming from Richelle's mouth, especially for Amanda and Michelle who knew this young dancer all-too-well to be the type who spoke her mind bluntly and directly without considering the ideas of others. In Riley's case, it was another story. Her sister, Emily, was the pioneer who previously held those qualities in her initial reigning position as dance captain. Thankfully, things were different now, but this all too familiar personality seemed to be rejuvenated and reincarnated by one of The Next Step's very own in their newer and younger generation of fresh faces and dancers this time round.

"Well, Richelle, I actually thought of throwing Noah a surprise party for this evening―"

"―And you want me to plan it?! Perfect! Count me in!" Richelle interrupted, beaming a brighter smile than they have ever seen her before.

Amanda, on the other hand, fell silent without another word daring to escape her presently pursed lips. At this moment, it looked like there was no way she would be sharing any more of her ideas anymore for as long as Richelle took charge. Of course, being one who was previously in authority of a dance troupe, she felt completely inclined to stand up to Richelle the way she used to towards others, but instead, she decided against it as she knew it would likely cause some trouble, personality-wise, at least. However, this wasn't the end of it. Someone who was seemingly more relentless than she stepped in to defend her friend and put Richelle in her place once again.

"Hold on, Richelle," Michelle spoke firmly, retaining eye-contact with her, "She wasn't finished yet and besides, _Amanda_ was the one who had this whole party idea in mind and _she_ woke up _this early_ just to get it set up so therefore, _she's_ planning it, alright?"

Richelle simply shot Michelle a sassy smirk, approaching her face-to-face in stride. She, Riley and Amanda knew that look all too well. This wasn't good. And if it went on further, this wasn't going to end well... _at all._

"Okay, Michelle..." she walked up to the senior dancer and stopped right before her, looking up at her face and straight into her eyes without hesitation, "Who's known Noah the longest?"

Richelle's question may have been striking, but it wasn't an effective enough verbal ammunition to get Michelle off her guard.

"That doesn't apply here and I honestly don't think it matters," Michelle began firmly, unmoved by the very question.

"Well, it matters to me because, I get it, Amanda's Noah's girlfriend and I totally respect that, but _how_ _long_ has she known him for? Only less than a year?!" Richelle argued back just as relentlessly and harshly, " _I'm_ Noah's best friend and we've known each other forever and I know even more about him than anyone else in the studio ever will! You've all just got to face that!"

"Well, if you _really_ respected their relationship, _or_ respected any of this at all, you shouldn't be taking over and getting all the credit for it; I guess that's what you're best at," Michelle concluded sternly and almost bitterly, looking Richelle right in the eye as she spoke, hoping she would at least attempt to be a team player, even if it meant doing it for herself, "And this really isn't about you; it's about Noah."

This stopped Richelle clean off her tracks. Being the way she was, ambitious, determined and thoroughly passionate, she meant no offense with every word, but had her own ways of expressing her excitement and enthusiasm. Unaware as she was and aware as those surrounding her were, that was just the way she was and she would leave it alone until someone (particularly Michelle, at this moment) pointed it straight out to her whether she liked it or not.

"You know I didn't mean it that way and I don't mean to take over anything," the younger dancer now spoke slowly and softly, which was rare for someone of her personality, "I guess I was just really eager to help out with all of this surprise party planning for Noah. It's just that he's my best friend and the eighteenth is a serious milestone for everyone who gets to that age and I _cannot_ go to sleep tonight knowing I wasn't involved with his special day at all."

Although it was very rare for someone like Richelle to open up to her fellow dancers and friends in the studio, showing her vulnerable and truly caring side she knew existed, this was the side of her that Michelle, Riley and Amanda were hoping to see, especially at this very moment that they were fortunate enough to. Amanda couldn't help but smile upon hearing Richelle's words, as if the toughest of nails holding foundation on The Next Step had gone soft with its vulnerabilities palpable.

"That's why we need your help, Richelle," Amanda smiled warmly, placing her hand on Richelle's shoulder, "What better person to ask than the best friend he's lucky to call his?"

Richelle then smiled up at Amanda, seemingly touched by her words, preparing to return the sentiment.

"Aw, I know!" Or not.

'And she's back,' Amanda thought to herself, shooting a smirk that spoke her thoughts loudly towards Riley and Michelle.

"Okay, so what's the _first_ thing you had in mind?" Richelle asked away, now more politely than her previous remarks, now awaiting an answer for herself.

"Well, now that we asked _you_ to help us out right now, why don't we―"

"―Call the rest of the team to get their butts over here to get this party set up right now? Excellent!" she cut Amanda off mid-sentence, clapping her hands together once again in delight.

"Whoa, that was fast," Riley chuckled, amazed at Richelle's speediness to catching on vital information, "You know something? Emily _was_ right. You _definitely_ have some of those skills to bring to the table if you're going to be dance captain."

"Not _if,_ Riley," Richelle giggled to herself though projecting her words in a matter-of-factly fashion, " _When_ I'm going to be dance captain."

'Yes, she is,' the young studio head thought to herself, responding to Amanda's previous thought as if either of them had some sort of telepathic communication to read each other's thoughts for that matter.

With that, she walked towards the yellow wooden cubbyholes to grab her phone from her dance bag to get started. The three ladies knew it was most certainly going to be a _long_ day having Richelle involved with these celebrations plans, giving her piece and running her contributions her way, they had to admit how lucky they were to have Noah's best friend by their side, working together with them to make Noah's eighteenth birthday the _perfect_ day. Now, all they had to do was wait for the rest of the team and they simply couldn't wait to get started, especially Amanda...even if she was most looking forward to the end result.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** **Here you are, folks! The ending to this slightly longer second chapter of "Save the Last Dance for Me." Apparently, in my schedule, it told me back then before I continued this chapter that "the next 24 hours" was a translation to "the next three weeks" upon updating. No, it is not, and I apologize for it. Well, what else can we do? I'm just really glad to have gotten this chapter out there and I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I have to say, I had the most fun writing this chapter for these past few days. Who else was happy seeing Richelle in this story? Of course I wouldn't dare leave her out of this story, especially about one celebrating Noah's birthday. Why would I? She's his best friend and I adore their friendship so much! This chapter is also in respect of the Nochelle shippers who came across this story and even if it's a Nomanda-centric story, I hope you're still enjoying it, but most especially this chapter, because it's for you guys.**_

 _ **Anyways, I'd like to know what you think! Please leave me a review or PM, and once again, I thank you all, those who read and reviewed, favorited and followed, for your unwavering support of this story. It really fills my writer's heart (and my own heart) with happiness and I feel beyond thankful to be bringing this story to you. The next chapter will be coming to you soon (not in a month's time, hopefully, haha) and I can assure you it's something to look forward to. A shoutout in advance to my fellow TNS writer and friend Blizzard20 for inspiring me with her suggestions for chapter three. Stay tuned! You do NOT wanna miss this.**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012**_


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